KOLKATA: Sixty newborns, including 10 in a single day in a span of one week, died at the state-run Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) in West Bengal, exposing the vulnerable neonatal care system in government facilities in the State.
Alarmed by such a huge number of crib deaths, particularly in the third week of August, the Swasthya Bhaban, the state health department headquarters at Salt Lake, has initiated an inquiry.
The department has directed the MMCH to submit a detailed report in connection with the deaths of six infants to Swasthya Bhaban as early as possible.
Prof (Dr) Prasenjit Bar, medical superintendent cum vice principal (MSVP) of the MMCH, told reporters on Wednesday, “Ten newborn babies died on August 12 at the hospital. Eight among the 10 babies were brought to our hospital in critical condition from several other government healthcare centres and nursing homes across Malda district.”
“Only two out of the 10 babies were born in our hospital. Four among the 10 deceased had congenital heart disease, two had severe respiratory distress, and the remaining four had other serious complications,” Prof Bar said.
“Similarly, 44 out of the 60 newborns were rushed to our hospital in very critical conditions from elsewhere as referral cases. The remaining 16 babies were born in our hospital,” he added.
The health department took up the matter soon after it came to know about the figure of deaths from the official website.
The officials at the state secretariat Nabanna and Swasthya Bhaban held a virtual conference with the MMCH principal, MSVP, concerned doctors and other administrative officers of the teaching hospital seeking case reports on the 60 deceased newborns, sources said.
According to the MMCH sources, jaundice, acute respiratory problems and congenital heart ailments have been shown as the cause of death of the 60 babies.
However, the Nabanna and Swasthya Bhaban during the video conference were not satisfied with the cause of death of these many babies claimed by the MMCH authorities.
The Suvendu Adhikari government has sought a detailed inquiry report on the matter, the sources said.
The state government has decided to streamline the referral system of ailing babies from primary, secondary health care facilities, private hospitals and nursing homes to tertiary hospitals like state-run medical colleges across the state.
The health department will verify the pre-natal and ante-natal care facilities in secondary and private healthcare establishments, mainly nursing homes mushrooming across districts in the state.
It’s learnt that the different health teams have separately started inspections in around 20 private hospitals and nursing homes in several districts to check newborn care setup, including post-delivery nursery rooms, infrastructure facilities and human resources.
District magistrates have already been instructed in this regard by the Swasthya Bhaban.
